Attachment plug



Dec. 29,1925. 1,567,176

R. B. BENJAMIN ATTACHMENT PLUG Filed Feb. 6, 1920 n orney.

Patented Dec. 29, 1925. y

UNITED srarss PATENT OFFICE.

REUBEN B. BENJAMIN, OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS, ASSIGNOR TO BENJAMIN ELECTRIC MANUFACTURING COMPANY, OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS, A. CORPORATION OF ILLI- NOIS.

' ATTACHMENT PLUG.

Application filed February 6, 1920. Serial No. 356,673.

T0 all 'whom' t may concern.'

Be it known that I, REUBEN B. BENJAMIN, a citizen of the United States, residing at Chicago, in the county of Cook and State of Illinois, have invented new and useful Improvemcnts in Attachment Plugs, of which the following is a full, clear, concise, and exact description, reference being had to the accompanying drawing, forming a part of this specication.

My invention relates to electrical con- Vnector devices, and more specifically to attachment plugs.

Among the objects of my invention is to provide an improved electrical connector device which shall be efficient and durable in use, simple in construction, easy to assemble and wire, and cheap to manufacture.

Further objects will appear from the detailed description to follow and from the ap pended claims.

i of plug.

Referring first to the construction shown in Figs. 1 to 5 inclusive, this comprises in a general way an insulating base 10, on which are mountedl the combined center contact and binding terminal 11 and the binding terminal 12 for the shell contact, a threaded shell contact 13, surrounding the insulating base 10 and'swiveled with respect thereto, and electrically connected with the binding terniinal 12, and a flexible tubular extension handle 14 secured to the threaded shell contact 15, but insulated from said threaded shell Contact. This flexible extension handle ,1 4 4torrnfs tubular passage `forthe feed wires 15, leading to the wiring terminals 11 and 12 respectively, and also forms a flexible handle like, The flexibility of the handle permits the feed wires 15 to extend naturally in the direction in which it is desired they should extend, the handle 14 curving itself to accommodate itself to the direction in which the wires extend.

This flexible handle 14 may be formed of three concentric superimposed spiral metal coils, the intermediate coil being wound in the opposite direction from the inner and outer ones, the three being secured together by a metal casting 16 of lead or other suitable material, in which the upper ends of the coils are embedded, as indicated at 16a.

' The flexible tubular extension handle is secured to the threaded shell contact 13 by means of a cup-shaped sheet metal member 17, in which the lead casting 16 is seated, and in which it is secured by soldering or in any suitable manner, the upper edge of the cupshaped member being secured to the lower edge of the threaded shell contact 13 by beading the two parts together as indicated at 18and 19, an insulating fibre sleeve or ring 2O being interposed between the bushings 18 and 19, this iing 20 being pressed to shape in the beading together of the parts 18 and 19.

A flexible handle for an attachment plug is described and claimed in my copending application Serial No. 59,800, led November 5, 1915, the claims in this case on the flexible handle being directed to features not shown in the earlier filed application.

The center contact and binding terminal construction 11 comprises a metal bushing 21, which may be molded into the insulating base 10, a clamping member 22, which may be a sheet metal stamping under which the lbared ends .of the feed wires are caught, and

a clamping screw 23 extending through an opening in the sheet metal stamping 22, and threaded into the bushing 21, for pressing the clamping member 22 against the bared ends of the feed wires. A passage 24; is provided in the .insulating base Ytor the leed wire leading to this binding terminal Kconstruction.

The wiring terminal 12 for the shell contact 1'3 is electrically connected therewith vby means of a sheet metal sleeve member 25, secured to the insulating base 10, and swiveled in the threaded shell contact 13. rllhe linsulating base 10 is recessed .at 26, to provide clearance for the side binding terminal construction, the material of .the sheet .metal shell being also pressed inwardly at this point, the sheet metal being lslitted at 27 to perm-it .of this pressing in, the -bindingscrew y26 .extending through an opening in this pressed in portion .of the shell, and being threaded Ainto a nut 29. To further secure the shell 25 in place on the insulating base7 it is bumped into a recess l30 in the side ot .the insulating base yas indicated at 30a. The lower edge of this shell. or sleeve 25 is provided with an inturned flange 31 which rests on the.V inturned @flange .32 of the threaded shell contact 13, and is swiveled thereon to form a sliding' swivel rcontact therewith.

ln order to detachably hold the insulating Vbase 10 ,and shell 25 in place in lthe -tl-ireaded'shell contact 13, a bent wire spring .33 is provided which is slipped inside the shell 25, and ghas outwardly `extending projections 341, which extend through slots 35 in the side oit the shell 25 and, into the annu lar recess formed by the y.beaded portion 1 9 el? the threaded shell `,Contact 13. The inA sulating lease 10 vand lshell 25 can thus be readily and ACuiielrl-y connected and disconnected-with respectlto the shellcontact 13.

The lconstrue tion shown in Fig. 6 is similar in ,all respects -to that just deseribed, eX- cept that in this orm a .tubular fthurnbpiece 36 of molded insulating material is substituted tor ,the ilegible tubular handle 1s and its connection. Aln the form shown in 'Fig'.

G the lower end .of .the threaded shell oo ntaet 13 is lmolded into the upper end olf the tliumbpiece 36 as indicated at 37, the connection `between vthe insulating base 10 and the threaded shell contact 13 being `by means of .the shell 25 and the bent wire spring 33 as in the form just described.

lin wiring the device the .insulating base 10 with the shell 25 are slipped out of the threaded shell contact 13, and the wires are led `up to the tubular flexible handle 111 and are ,Secured to the binding terminals 11 and 12 respectively. The insulating base 1 0,

with the shell 25 ,are then slipped ,back into l l an 'insulating base, wiring terminals sup- -place in the threaded shell contact 13, the outwardly extending portions 34 of thel wire spring 33 snapping into place into the annular space formed by the outwardly beaded portion 19 of the threaded shell contact.

In screwing the plug into the socket, the threaded shell Contact 13 is positioned so as to enter the threaded shell contact of the socket, and the tubular flexible handle 1l is then .rotated to screw the threaded lshell con tact in place in the socket, the insulating base 10 and the leed wires 15, however, not being `rotated with .the threaded shell contact, as the swivel connection between the threaded shell contact and the .insulating base permits the contacts to be screwed in without rotating the base and the feed wires connected therewith.

Having thus described my invention, what l claim as new .and kdesire to secure by Letters Patent of the United States is:

1. A swivel attachment plug vcomprising an insulating base, wiring terminals supported thereby, a .threaded shell contact sur rounding said insulating base, a cylindrical sleeve also surrounding ysaid insulating base and located inside said threaded shell contact and secured to said insulating base and having a cylindrical portion 'extending beyond saidinsulating ,base and a spring supported by said extension and engaging said threaded shell contact to hold the parts together.

A swivel attacl'iment ,plug comprising` an insulating base, wiring terminals supported thereby, a threaded shell contact surrounding said insulating base and swiveled with respect the-reto, a cylindrical sleeve also surrounding said insulating base, Vlocated inside said threaded shell contact, and secured to said insulating base and having a cylindrical portion extending beyond said insulating base., 'said cylindrical extension having a slot therein, and circular spring inside said cylindrical extension and substantially concentric therewith and having a portion -extending through said slot for engaging said threaded shell Contact to hold .the parts together.

3. A swivel attachment plug comprising an insulating base, wiring terminalsnsupported thereby, a threaded shell contact surrounding said insulating base and swiveled with ,respect thereto, ^a cylindrical sleeve also .surrounding said insulating base, located inside said threaded shell contact, and secured to said insulating lease and having a `cylindrical 'portion extending beyond said insulating 'b ase, said ,threaded shell contact having an internal annular channel therein, and a spring supported by said cylindrical eX- tension and substantially concentric therewith and engaging said channel to v hold the parte togetlierf l. A swivel attachment plug comprising thereby, a threaded shell contact surported said insulating base and swlveled rounding with respect thereto, a cylindrical sleeve also surrounding said insulating,` base, located inside said threaded shell Contact and secured to said insulating base and having a cylindrical portion extending beyond said insulating base, said cylindrical extension having a slot therein, and a circular bow-spring located inside said extension and substantially concentric therewith and ext-ending;` through said slot to engage said threaded 10 shell Contact to hold the parts together.

In Witness whereof, I have hereunto Subscribed Iny name.

REUBEN B. BENJAMIN. 

